There are other simple things you can do with templates to achieve the look you need. These simple tutorials could be very helpful.

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* '''Adding Javascript to your Template''': You might be interested in [http://help.joomla.org/ghop/feb2008/task060/task60.odt How to add JavaScript to a Joomla template] [http://www.scribd.com/doc/2300110/Joomla-v-15-Adding-Javascript-to-your-Template Scribd] by [[GHOP students/Anner J. Bonilla|Anner J. Bonilla (annerajb)]].

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* '''Troubleshooting a Template Installation''': If you are having trouble installing a template, see [http://help.joomla.org/ghop/feb2008/task061/Rev9.zip How to resolve problems with a template installation] [http://www.scribd.com/doc/2300161/Joomla-v-1-5-Template-Installation-Troubleshooting-Manual Scribd] by [[GHOP students/Chad Windnagle|Chad Windnagle (drmmr763)]].

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* [http://help.joomla.org/ghop/feb2008/task057/Joomla%20Class%20Suffix%20Guides.pdf How to use CSS class suffixes in Joomla! 1.5] [http://www.scribd.com/doc/2300098/Joomla-v-15-How-to-use-CSS-class-suffixes Scribd] by takercena.

* You might be interested in [http://help.joomla.org/ghop/feb2008/task060/task60.odt How to add JavaScript to a Joomla template] [http://www.scribd.com/doc/2300110/Joomla-v-15-Adding-Javascript-to-your-Template Scribd] by [[GHOP students/Anner J. Bonilla|Anner J. Bonilla (annerajb)]].

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=== Troubleshooting a Template Installation ===

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If you are having trouble installing a template, see [http://help.joomla.org/ghop/feb2008/task061/Rev9.zip How to resolve problems with a template installation] [http://www.scribd.com/doc/2300161/Joomla-v-1-5-Template-Installation-Troubleshooting-Manual Scribd] by [[GHOP students/Chad Windnagle|Chad Windnagle (drmmr763)]].

Search Engine Optimization is the practice of doing whatever is needed to help make your Web site rank higher in return results for a search engine. For some, this is very important aspect of attracting visitors to their site. Most experts agree, however, that the single best way to improve your chance of getting attention on the Internet is to provide good content on a regular basis. There are several things that you can do using core functionality to make your Joomla! Web site more SEO friendly. Here are some important areas to focus.

Search Engine Optimization is the practice of doing whatever is needed to help make your Web site rank higher in return results for a search engine. For some, this is very important aspect of attracting visitors to their site. Most experts agree, however, that the single best way to improve your chance of getting attention on the Internet is to provide good content on a regular basis. There are several things that you can do using core functionality to make your Joomla! Web site more SEO friendly. Here are some important areas to focus.

* If you want to use IIS and Joomla!'s [[SEF]] URLs, [[IIS6 and SEF URLs using Joomla 1.5x|do this first]], then use the previous document.

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** If you want to use IIS and Joomla!'s [[SEF]] URLs, [[IIS6 and SEF URLs using Joomla 1.5x|do this first]], then use the previous document.

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* '''Removing WWW from your domain name''': [http://help.joomla.org/ghop/feb2008/task111/remove_www_from_domain6.odt How to remove "WWW" from your Domain Name and Why it matters] [http://www.scribd.com/doc/2300173/Joomla-How-to-Remove-www-from-domain-and-why-it-matters Scribd] by theoclymenus

* [http://help.joomla.org/ghop/feb2008/task111/remove_www_from_domain6.odt How to remove "WWW" from your Domain Name and Why it matters] [http://www.scribd.com/doc/2300173/Joomla-How-to-Remove-www-from-domain-and-why-it-matters Scribd] by theoclymenus

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* '''Questions?'''

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** Questions about ''SEO'' should be asked in the [[jforum:544|Joomla! v 1.5 SEO Forum]].

Absolute Beginners Guide to Joomla!, Novices and What is Joomla all redirect to here.

<translate> As someone who has not used Joomla! before, you need to know how to get started. Maybe you have a friend or a neighbour who uses Joomla! and you want a Joomla! web site of your very own. Maybe you have a small business or a club or a community that needs a web presence, and you want to use Joomla! for that purpose. Maybe you are a seasoned Information Technology professional, but you have never used Joomla! before. If so, you are just starting a very enjoyable journey and we warmly welcome you to Joomla! </translate>

Absolute Beginners Guide to Joomla!

Welcome to Joomla!, a leading open source Content Management System (CMS) platform. Joomla! is a well-tested, extensible and effective tool supported by a very active and friendly community of developers and users.

Do you want to get started with Joomla!, but you have no idea where to begin? If so, you have come to the right place.

This Absolute Beginner's Guide to Joomla! is just for you. It lists articles on this Wiki that should get you up and running with Joomla! quickly. It does include some general terms and techniques you might not be familiar with, but there is good reference material for those on the Internet.

Getting Started with Joomla! is a tutorial series with hands-on instructions to introduce Joomla! to people who have not previously used it. It explains all techniques step by step using screenshots. These documents are useful if you like detailed and exact explanations, but they are necessarily longer than this reference.

Please use either or both of these documents to get started!

Although you could spend a lifetime learning Joomla!, if you master the basics you will be able to make a very attractive and useful basic website in very little time and with no special technical skills.

What is Joomla!?

Joomla! is software that lets you make and update web pages easily.

You can think of a Joomla! website as bringing together three elements.

Your content, which is mainly stored in a database.

Your template, which controls the design and presentation of your content (such as fonts, colors and layout).

Joomla! which is the software that bring the content and the template together to produce webpages.

Understand How Joomla! Works

You might want to learn how Joomla! is built and how its features work together.

In short, Joomla! is composed of a Platform and extensions. There are several types of extensions, each capable of performing specific tasks. Some extensions are developed as part of the Joomla! project and come with your installation. If you want to add features to your site, you can install more extensions.

You can compare this to a computer operating system, like Microsoft Windows or Linux. You don't directly use the operating system (Joomla!); you use applications (extensions) to carry out tasks. Some applications (extensions) are immediately available on your system, but can install and remove additional applications (extensions) at any time.

Install Joomla!

There are several ways to install Joomla!.

If you want to test Joomla! and you haven't purchased a domain yet, you can install Joomla! on your own computer (without your site appearing on the Internet), you can install it using the XAMPP package. You can also create a working website at demo.joomla.org, which is easy and well-supported.

If you want your site to be available on the Internet, make sure that you have an account on a web server. For most people this means signing up with a hosting company and purchasing a domain that will serve as your site's main address.

Option Two: Conventional Installs. This method requires that you copy the Joomla! zip file to your hosting account, unzip, create a database, and then run the installation. Complete instructions can be found in Installation. This video takes you through the steps.

Option Three: Demo Site. If you used the Demo Site, you can follow the instructions provided to back up and move the site to your existing host or establish a hosting account at the end of the free 30 day trial. (Note that the Joomla! Project receives a royalty if you choose paid hosting from that site.)

Learn to Use Joomla!

Now that you have a working Joomla! site, you will want to start filling it with your own content and making it look just the way you want. Before doing that, it is a good idea to learn more about how to work with Joomla!. There are a number of very useful resources to help you with this.

Keep Your Site Secure

Security is always a big concern on the web. Make sure you are using best security practices. The basic techniques on the Security Check List will get your site off to a good start in terms of security.

Getting Help

The Joomla! forums are the among the busiest (and most friendly) support forums in the world, and they are a great place to get help and meet other Joomla! users.

Please make certain you search, first, before posting a question. Nine times out of ten someone else had the same issue that you had. As it turns out, we all travel a similar path.

Be clear and specific in your request for help. Entries like “Help! It doesn’t work!” tend to get ignored. Try to explain everything that led up to your problem. Try to explain what your problem is. Be clear about what you want to happen. And, thank those who bother to help!

If your question/problem was solved, mark your thread as solved by editing the first post you made in that thread and changing the topic icon to the green check mark with a circle. You can also add [Solved] to your topic title. By doing this you allow other members who are doing searches to easily differentiate between solved and unsolved issues. This also saves the volunteers' time of having to open up solved topics.

As soon as you know things, start answering questions. Answering questions is one of the best ways to learn.

If someone helps you, say thank you and pay it forward by answering a question yourself.

Selected Advanced Beginner and Intermediate Topics

The remainder of this document briefly covers some slightly more advanced topics for web masters.

Address Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization is the practice of doing whatever is needed to help make your Web site rank higher in return results for a search engine. For some, this is very important aspect of attracting visitors to their site. Most experts agree, however, that the single best way to improve your chance of getting attention on the Internet is to provide good content on a regular basis. There are several things that you can do using core functionality to make your Joomla! Web site more SEO friendly. Here are some important areas to focus.

Converting an Existing Website to Joomla!

Thanks to our GHOP Contestants!

Most of this material was written by Joomla! Google Highly Open Participation Contestants. This work is of the highest quality and the students were inspiring to work with. Sincere thanks to all of our participants for sharing their gifts with the Joomla! community. You guys rock!